Vegetable-conditioning method and machine



June 5,' 1934- R. L. CORNELL VEGETABLE CONDITIONING METHOD AND MACHINEFiled June 5, 19555 s sheets-sheet 1 INVENToR. R. L. ORINELL.

A TToRNEY.

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R. L. CORNELL 1,961,337 VEGETABLE CONDITIONING METHOD AND MACHINE FiledJune 5, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 5, 1934.

June 5, 1934.` R. l.. CORNELL A l 1,961,337

V VEGETABLE CONDITIONING METHOD`AND MACHINE Filed June 5, 1935 5Sheets-Sheet 5 l HH Ill III HVVENTOR, R. L. 00P/VLM.

BY A ToRNEY.

Patented June 5,A 1934 l o t i UlsuTlazb STATI-:s PATENT o1-FICE'VEGETABLE-CONDITIONING METHOD AND MACHINE Y Robert L. Cornell, Sanford,Fla. Application June 5, 1933, Serial No. 674.429 comms. (o1. 'ca 104)'I'hisinvention/relates to vegetable-conditioning the water back fromthe overilowtank or setmethods and machines, and more specincally, ittling-tank to the refrigerating coils, and in comrelates to a method andmechanical means for binationwith means to strain or filter the waterwashing andpre-cooling vegetables immediately enroute from thesettling-tanktothe refrigerating I before they are stored for shipmentin cars for coils, A v 60 delivery. to the places of distribution andsale. Another object is to provide an effective and By thus conditioningthe vegetables (including elcient means to drive a numberofrvegetablefruits), the combined cooling and washing frees carryingconveyors at slow speed so they will the vegetables from dirt, insectsand other for-'i keep the vegetables in the cooling Water long eignsubstances, while reducing the heat therein enough .to sufficientlypre-coolthem Without repee 65 t0 a 10W degree,;thefeby not onlyimproving the tition of the cooling procees relative to the spequalityof the vegetables, but also reducing or ciflc crates of vegetables, andto provide each eliminating the cost oi' re-icing 0rle-refrigeratconveyor with pushers to force the floating crates ing thecars enroute. Of course the same apalong against the sluice-currents ofwater, the ll plies to shipment by boats and other means of pushers ofeach conveyor being in staggered re- 70 trnSDOrtatOnlation to thoseofthe other conveyorsso as to One Object 0f lthe invention iS tesoimprove deliver the crates one at a time for permitting llDOn machinesof this nature as t0 very greatly the \operators to easily direct them(one at a reduce the first cost o! conditioning vegetables for time) tothe chute or conveyor (not shown) that transportation to the markets.delivers them to the car, hold, or container in 75 Anethel Object is t0greatly increase the repidwhich they are to be transported to market.ity 0f removing the heet fIOm the Vegetables. Another object is toprovide twin sluices which thereby maXimZingthe output 0f Dre-cooled andare practically .free from rivets or other impediwashed vegetables.ments to the free and swift ow of water at their Another Object iS t0provide this machine. With inclined bottoms, which bottoms are concavedin 80 very eieetive and eiiicient means t0 continually cross-section sothat the sand and silt from the remove sand and silt 'from theConditlOning vegetables gravitate to the central-lower parts Sluces S0as t0 avoid en eecumuletin 0f Such of each twin-sluice and are carriedout con- "detlimelltel 01' centmlnuting materials therein; tinuallythrough the sluice-gates at the low ends 3o Another object is to providea very eective oi' each sluice-bottom. 85

and eilicient means to force crates of vegetables 4 Another Aobject isto provide effective. heatf through and counter to a Ycurrent orcurrents of insulating walls around the washing and cooling ceeling andWashing Water While the Current iS devices so as as to maintain the lowtemperature maintained by refrigerated water which Showers thereofagainst the heating tendency of the outer upon the vegetables so as towash and pre-cool atmosphere, v 9o the unsubmerged partsof thevegetables as well other objects and important features are pointes theparts that are submerged in the sluice or 'ed outl or implied in thefollowing details of desluices. i `scription, in connection with theaccompanying Another object is to provide conveyors in the drawings inwhich;

40 respective sluices, and Operating longitudinally Fig. 1 is a view,partly in side elevation and 95 thel'emund, 1'01 carrying the cre-tes 0fVegetables partly in section, showing the delivering end of into andthrough and out of the Sluices, enti t0 a pre-cooling and washingapparatus constructed provide each sluice with en adjustablecutletaccording io my invention, crates in different po- -Zete formaintaining the Drone!" depth of' Welter sitions, and representation ofwater flowing down for fleeting 0r Substantially noa-tins the crates. onand overthe refrigerating pipes or tubes onto 100 thereby avoidingObstruction t0 the circulation the crate-carrying conveyors in andaround the of water through the bottoms oil-the crates, andtwin-sluices, this view being substantially comminimizing the load onthe conveyor so as to plemental to Fig. 1A. minimize the Wear and thenecessary POWer for Fig. 1A is a view, partly in side elevation andOpel'tingthecenveyoh partly in section, showing the feeding or receiv-.105 Another object is to provide' an overflow-tank ing'end of theapparatus, the direction of mounderthe several sluices toreceive thewater from tion of the `driving shaft and sprockets being the 'sluicesandthe unused water, from the reshown by the curved arrow, the directionof travel frigerating tubes. in combination with one or of the conveyorand-*of the water in the sluices more circulating pumpsand pipes forcarrying being indicated by appropriate words and by op- 110 flow ofwater through the partly open sluice-gate being indicated by theobliquearrow, while the vertical arrow indicates the. inflow of theexternal Asupply of water, this figure being complemental to Fig.l 1.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of front, rear and intermediate parts of thesettling tank, of the twinsluices and conveyor tracks and theirsupporting uprights or I-beams, some of the latter being in section atthe line 2 -'2 of Fig. 1 where the sections of the outlet-pipes of thepumps, are also shown, 4certain intermediate parts being broken out andomitted because they are duplicates of parts illustrated, the conveyorsbeing omitted for more clearly showing the sprockets and tracks whichcarry them.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental detail view of one of the endlessconveyors; It is to be understood that there is one of these conveyorsfor each twin-sluice shown in Figs. 1, 1A and 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail cross-sectional view taken where indicatedby the line 4-4 and by the arrow-heads in thecomplemental Figs. 1 and1A, the lower-middle part of one of the cross-beams being broken out toprevent hiding 'the upper end o f the partition between the sluices ofthe twinsluice here illustrated.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in which similar referencenumerals refer to similar parts in the several views, the invention isdescribed in-detail as follows g The settling tank 5 is preferably amonolithic structure of concrete which may-be reinforced or not, and issubstantially a trough, being relatively shallow and long and as wide asmay be desirable for containing one or a number of conditioning unitssuch as presently described. Insulating walls 6 may surround or nearlysurround the wall of the settling tank and extend to any desired heightand be provided with doorways 7 through which the crated vegetables canbe fed onto and removed from the respective conveyors. These doorwaysmay be wide enough to admit of access to .two or more of the conveyorsthrough each doorway. An operators` platform 8 and table 9 may beprovided for each conveyor, or each platform and table may be wideenough to accommodate several of the conveyors; the same being true withrespect to a similar platform 10 and table 11; the' distinctions beingthat the parts 8 and 9 are at the feeding end, while the parts 10 and 11are at the delivering end. Each table is` preferably provided withArollers 12 and 13 to facilitate easily and quickly feeding the crates Conto the conveyors 14, and for easy and quick removal thereof at the-delivery end. v

Each conditioning unit includes one of the conveyors 14, the track-rails15 and 16 which carry the respective upper and lower sections of theconveyor, the twin-sluices 17 that carry the trackrails therein, thepairs of sprockets 18 and 19 that combine with the track-rails incarrying the conveyors, the guiding sprockets or'wheels 20 (Fig. 1A),and a set of refrigerating pipes ortubes 21, in combination with theparts that support and secure them in proper relation to one another,and in combination with means to distribute water over the refrigeratingpipes andthereby cool the water immediately before it falls onto thecrated vegetables. These conditioning units are combined with oneanother by means of their mutual supporting frame or structure withintheir mutual `settling tank, by their mutual circulating pumpv or pumps22 and pipes 23 and 24, and by their i 1,961,387 positely pointinghorizontal arrows, and the outmutual driving and carryingsliafts 25 and26, as well as by their mutual water supply pipe 27 and water-filter 28,the latter being of any appropriate form and preferably having anormally` closed gate or manhole 29 through which it may be cleaned andre-packed. The water-supply pipe '27 is provided with a valve 30connected to a fioat 31 by means of an arm 32, and by thisV means (whenthe float is in the broken line position) the flow of water from thepipe 27 is cut off whenever the water-level reaches a predeterminedposition in the settling tank, so the depth is thereby maintained at apredetermined normal.

The supportingstructure. includes uprights or I-beams'33 and 34,horizontal cross-beams 3 5.-

within the twin-sluices, horizontal beams 36 spanning the'spaces betweenthe uprights 34, racks 37 on the beams 36 and supporting therefrigerating coils or pipes 21, and bearing-hangers or brackets 38which support the journal-bearings 39 of the shafts 25 and 26; thesebrackets being secured to uprights 34 by welding o-r other appropriatemeans not shown.

Distributing troughs or channels 40 are supported on thev brackets 37 inproperposition and relation to overflow all along their respective walls.and to thus distribute water over 'and on the re- V frigeratin. pipes,the latter being over the respective twin-sluices so as to delivercooled water into the latter and,onto the crated Vegetables therein. Thecooled water immediately gravitates frorn` the vegetables-whileabsorbing heat from the latter and while giving place to more ofthecooled water which continues to fall on the vegetables as they arecarried along by means of the conveyors in the direction ofConveyormotion (as shown in Figures 1 and 1A) and ycounter to thedirection of Water-now (Figs. 1

and 1A) The flow of water in the sluices is effected bythe inclinationof the sluice-bottoms towards the sluice-gate or gates 41, and by theoutpour orfwater through the sluice-gates. The vegetables moving throughthe water, in the upper part of the sluices, counter to the water-dow,force the water through the masses of vegetables in the crates andthereby accelerate the process of cooling and washing; this motiontending to retard the flow at the upper part and to thereby acceleratethe flow at the lower part of each sluice, just as the inlowing oceantides cause the outfiowing undertow, and this current along the inclinedbottom of each sluice keeps it free from accumulated sand and -silt thatpass out from the sluicegate.into the settling chamber or tank 5 whencethey may be removed by any appropriate means without draining thesettling tank. However, if and when it is desired to drain the settlingtank, a valve or gate 42 (Fig. 1) may bewhile the machine is operating,for thevegetables will eventually carry away the water in the absence'of a continual replenishment.

An outlet tube 43 connects the tank 5 in open. communication with thefilter or strainer 28, so

the water from the tank 5 flows into the filter or A strainer whence itis pumped through one or more pipes 24 by one or more pumps 22 into oneor more pipes-23. Each pipe 23 has one or more branches 23a which extendup and have subbranches 23h that extend longitudinally over therespective distributing troughs 40 and have nozzles 23o for returningthe once-used water (which is relatively cool) to the distributingtroughs and thence to the refrigerating pipes to be re-cooled ously bythe same circulating pump or connected pair of. pumps 22.

The terminals of the respective refrigerating pipes 21 are connected tothe usual refrigerant circulating means in the usual or any proper way,

so that they are properly termed cooling pipes or refrigeratingpipes orwater-cooling means.

Each conveyor 14 comprises chains 14a, rollers 14D, cross-beams 14o andupright pushers 14d. 'Ihe rollers roll on the track-rails 15 which areL-beams or angle-beams riveted or otherwise secured tothe walls of thetwin-sluices and are substantially level at. their intermediate majorparts and inclined attheir end parts so thatthe vegetable crates quicklydescend thereon into the water in the sluices, remain a relatively longtime in the cooled stream of water and under the down-pouring water,then ascend to the discharge-end where they are directed to thetransportation' vehicle. To prevent the pull of the sprockets 19 (on theshaft 25) from lifting the chains or conveyors from the track-rails 15,guiding flanges 44 are suitably secured and spaced above the respectiverails as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The idlers 20 prevent the lower sectionof the respective conveyors from lifting from the lower track-rails 16.The pushers 14d arespaced far enough from one another to admit thelargest size of vegetable crates to be placed therebetween, and when thecrated vegetables are iioating above the cross-beams 14e, these pusherspropel them through the water counter to the direction of ow in thesluices, thereby attaining the object ascribed to this feature.

Each sluice of -a pair has a high outer wall and a low inner wall, andthe pair of low inner walls are curved upward-extensions of thesluice-bottoms; -their upper edges are riveted or otherwise secured toone another;v and this combination provides a partition between thetwin-sluices and rigidifies the structure so it sustains the weight entparts are formed, nor to any particular form of means to drive the maindriving shaft 25 which may be properly considered as driving means forthe other devices which are movable to perform their functions, nor toany of the specific details as described and shown in the foregoing, forthe invention is susceptible of numerous changes within the scope of theinventive ideas as, implied and claimed in the following:

What I claim is:

1.. The method of washing and cooling food materials, consisting incausing the foodmaterials to float in a flowing body of cool water whilein contact with the water and counter to the direction of flow of theWater while a part oi' the food materials protrude above the water,causing precooled water to shower the protruding parts of the foodmaterials and to pass thence down into said flowing body for addingthereto and causing it to continue to flow, trapping a part of thefwaterthat has Washed and cooled the food materials, elevating and re-coolinga p'art of the trapped water, and re-showering the food materials withthe re-cooled water while the food materials remain in said body of coolwater.

l2. In an apparatus for washing and cooling crated materials, thecombination of a sluice, re-

frigerating pipes over the sluice and extendingwithin said sluice, aconveyor mounted to travel on said trackand to carry the cratedmaterials, the intermediate part of said track between said inclinedends being below the top of the sluice at a proper elevation to permit apart of said crated materials on said conveyor to be submerged whileanother part of the materials on the conveyor protrudes above the waterin the sluiceso as to receive the down-pouring cooled water from therefrigerating pipes, and means to move said conveyor along said tracksand thereby eifect a flow of water horizontally through each crate 'ofmaterials on said conveyorl so as to expedite the cleaning and coolingof the said materials.

3. The combination defined by claim 2, a receptacle under said outlet toreceive relatively cool water from said outlet, and means to carry therelatively cool water from the last-said receptacle and deliver it tothe receptacle over the refrigeratin'g pipes for distribution over thelatter for being re-cooled to a lower degree and repoured on saidmaterials.

ROBERT L. CORNELL.

